Having a strong dental online reputation management plan in place might seem unnecessary to many dentists. However, the truth is that a strong online reputation can make a difference within the Internet being a hurdle, facilitating for your practice’s growth.
Are you still wondering why you need an effective dentist reputation management strategy?
… Because an attack on your online reputation can come out of nowhere!
The fact is, you may be the best dentist in your area and still be subjected to an attack on your online reputation. An upset patient, a disgruntled employee, or a competitor… anyone may write bad feedback of your services online, and you’ll be left wondering how to minimize the damage and fix your dented reputation.
The worst part is that you may not foresee a problem coming until it’s already too late. A dental reputation management strategy ensures you’re prepared to handle any unforeseen attacks on your online reputation.
Another reason you need dentist online reputation management is…
…Because unpleasant situations can get worse quickly!
We’ve all been in difficult professional situations at some point. An unpleasant conversation with a patient is not something to take lightly. The angry patient may decide to post a scathing review of your practice online. The chances of handling the situation professionally and discussing the patient’s concern, an enormous audience now has access to the review, reading not-so-pleasant feedback of your practice and making perceptions about your brand.
Unfortunately, many people choose to believe online reviews posted by total strangers over personal recommendations by family and friends. Once your new and existing patients form a perception about your practice, it can be difficult to dislodge.
Do you think the best way to prevent an online libel is to have a strong dentist online reputation management plan in place?
Managing your dental practice’s online reputation is an ongoing process. To protect your reputation and ensure that nothing slips through the cracks, it’s best to follow a few rules.
Dentist Reputation Management Rules
These rules will help you take control of your online reputation, address the negative press, and attract more patients.
Rule #1: Monitor online conversations: Keep an eye out for what people are saying about your dental practice online. This means continually searching the Internet using relevant keywords and search terms like your practice’s full name or the name of your doctors, scanning third-party review sites for patients’ comments, and monitoring social networks for any brand mentions. Monitoring social networks is also essential because your social media profiles reflect your dental practice and should be displaying a positive light. Setting up a Google Alert for your dental practice is a good step. You’ll receive updates when there are new search results for your brand name or keywords by signing up for this free service.
Rule #2: Always respond to online reviews: Most people who post negative online reviews tend to feel positive if their concerns are acknowledged, addressed, and resolved. After posting an online review, your patients expect you to respond, and they may not want to wait days and weeks for the same. Even if you cannot immediately respond to reviews or do not have the information needed to resolve their concerns, do not ignore reviews. The least you should acknowledge the feedback, let patients know you are looking into the concern, and assure them that you will come back with a solution soon. While you’re focusing on handling and responding to negative reviews, it’s equally important to encourage your patients to write positive reviews of your practice. The goal is to have more positive reviews than negative ones so that the bad sentiments get overshadowed by happy experiences.
Rule #3: Ensure extraordinary patient experience: Delivering excellent care and ensuring quality patient experiences are the best ways to get patients to leave positive online reviews of your practice. Often, dissatisfied patients will not complain personally or publicly but will stop coming to your dental practice. Such patients will spread the negativity by telling their family and friends about their unpleasant experience at your practice. The ripple effect of one angry patient can be harmful to your online reputation. Encourage your staff to serve patients in a manner that elicits positive responses. Make sure your front office staff is trained in handling difficult patients. Not only can your staff members help improve your online reputation, but their strategic presence on specific social networks can spread the right word about your practice and position it as the best dental practice in the area.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to build and protect your online reputation but could use some guidance, consider contacting are reputed and experienced healthcare marketing agency like Practice Builders.
Confused about whether to hire a dental practice marketing agency or fire in-house staff? We can answer your questions!
At Practice Builders, we have the knowledge and expertise to answer your questions about dentist online reputation management, regardless of the size of your practice or severity of issues. Our proven strategies have helped hundreds and thousands of dentists build a practice of their dreams.
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